


Nightwing, Den Mother

by Quinis



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Prompt Fill, slightly AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-20 21:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2443358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinis/pseuds/Quinis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Superboy, Artemis and M'gann are Young Justice. Except, Robin is Tim and Batman has assigned Den Mother duties to Nightwing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. -The Meeting-

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:  
>  _Because I am still of the school that says YJ Robin = Tim Drake._  
>  _When the roster for 'Den Mother' comes into conflict due to Justice League members busy schedules, Batman sends the one hero he can always count on to watch the YJ. Nightwing._  
>  _How will the YJ team handle having to do a mission with Batmans right hand man? How will Robin handle having his older brother working with the team? And what leadership advice could Nightwing give Aqualad?_  
>  _So basically, Nightwing being his usual awesome self and hanging with the team for a mission or two. Bonus if the Titans get mentioned. Extra bonus if the team suddenly realizes where Robins crazy gymnastics and habit of disappearing suddenly comes from. (because Nightwing would certainly pull the same stunts Robin does.)_
> 
> Notes: Another Young Justice: Animated Anonymous Fic Meme fill (I don't care that someone claimed it, it's been three years and no sign of a fill). It's the season 1 team except Robin is Tim instead of Dick. I haven't seen season 2 so Nightwing's personality is based off a combination of comics and other media.

**Nightwing, Den Mother**

* * *

- **The Meeting-**

* * *

Bludhaven was quiet. Which made sense since its protector, the acrobatic Nightwing, had a busy week.

Nightwing was sitting atop the police station roof when his Bat communicator went off.

"Batman, what's going on?" he asked in a cheery tone, hoping that no one had been injured even as his more logical side insisted that Batman wouldn't call him unless it was bad.

"I need your services," Batman said in his emotionless tone. Nightwing felt his eyebrow rise up.

"You need my help?"

"No." Not that he would admit it if he did. "I need your services. Superman isn't answering my calls, Black Canary is in Asia and Martian Manhunter is off-world."

"Okay...?"

"Black Canary was scheduled as Den Mother for this week with Superman as her back-up. Martian Manhunter is back-up for Superman, in case he can't get off his high perch to watch over the team-"

"'The team'? Young Justice?" Nightwing questioned. Batman kept talking over his interruption;

"With these three out of commission, it has become obvious that I need someone I can rely on. Which is why I've nominated Nightwing as Den Mother to Young Justice."

"Wait? Seriously?" Nightwing had heard lots about the new team, Robin wouldn't stop talking about them when he called. Made up of Robin the hacker, Aqualad the leader, Miss Martian the psychic, Artemis the archer, Superboy the muscle and his friend Kid Flash the speedster.

"You start tomorrow." With that said, Batman hung up. He didn't even wait for Nightwing's reply.

Nightwing sat on the roof for a few more minutes, thinking about this. He was slightly annoyed that Batman didn't even listen to him, but that was normal. Besides, he had been wanting to meet the team which was making waves in the costumed crime-fighting community.

He knew Robin and Kid Flash, especially since he had been the one to suggest to Batman and Flash that they be introduced. He had never expected them to team up with Aqualad to raid a Cadamus building and free Superboy, let alone stand up to the Justice League in order to join together as a team.

Nightwing had been surprised to learn that Batman had agreed on the formation of the team. The team he created as Robin, the Teen Titans (now just the Titans), had been separate from the Justice League due to the way the League treated young heroes.

He had also been upset to hear that Roy didn't join the team, instead opting to shed his Speedy persona and go at it alone as Red Arrow. He couldn't help feeling a little responsible for that, being that he had cut ties with Batman a year ago and gone solo as Nightwing, setting an example Roy seemed to have followed.

He had started mending the bridge between him and Batman with Tim's help and;

'Someone to rely on, huh?' he thought to himself with a smile.

* * *

He was just the team's Den Mother and there really was no reason at all to take a week off work and drive over to Gotham. Except, he had the vacation days and hadn't seen Bruce or Tim in a while.

He stepped into the manor with Alfred appearing before him.

"Master Dick, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just thought it'd be nice to spend some time with the family," Dick responded with a smile as the old butler took one of his bags, Dick continued to carry his backpack.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain request Master Bruce might have made?"

Dick laughed as Alfred saw right through him.

"Does Timmy know?"

"I believe Master Bruce intends to inform the whole team when they meet this afternoon."

"Great! I'll go put my stuff in my room."

"Master Bruce is in the study," Alfred said as Dick bounced up the stairs.

"It would be nice if you called first," were the first words Bruce said when Dick knocked on the door of the study.

"It's nice to see you too, Bruce," Dick responded.

* * *

Tim glanced at his watch and looked around. Alfred was late.

A hand yanked at his collar and he cursed himself for not paying attention. He hadn't heard anyone approach and Artemis' indignant squawk moments later sent fear fluttering in belly.  
Had someone figured out who they were?  
"We'll laugh about this later," a familiar voice said as the click of a camera sounded.  
"Dick!" Tim cried out in shock. Last he heard, Nightwing was still in Bludhaven. "What are you doing?"  
"Meeting your schoolmates, of course," Dick responded with a smile at Artemis. "Lovely to meet you, I hope you'll continue to be my brother's friend."  
"Uh, I guess?" Artemis responded, giving Tim a flat look tinged with annoyance and curiosity. Tim decided that he needed to be more cautious around her; he couldn't let her make connections between Timothy Drake and Robin.

"Dick, shouldn't we go?" he asked, giving Artemis an apologetic look. He mouthed, 'sorry', to her as he pulled the older man towards the school gate.

"Bye!" Dick said to Artemis, giving her a wave. Tim stopped just out of sight of the entrance and glared at him.

"What was that?"

"What?" Dick's look was wide-eyed and innocent. Tim's cheeks flared in embarrassment.

"Do you want her to figure out who we are?"

Dick didn't respond to the question, instead he pulled out his motorcycle keys.

"I'm taking the week off to visit," Dick explained, "and I thought I might pick you up from school. Haven't been to good old Gotham Academy in a while. Do they still have my picture hanging on the wall?"

Tim sighed at his brother's antics. It could be difficult to keep up with him as he was a bundle of energy most of the time.

"Not right now," Tim said hesitantly.

"Really?" Dick looked surprised.

"Bruce had the picture removed when it was damaged," Tim looked around and lowered his voice, "we had to fight Professor Ivo's inventions in there. A lot of stuff got damaged."

Dick laughed.

"Bet you can name the exact items and their worth," he boasted. Tim gave him a look which said, 'of course,' and Dick, as always, praised his skills.

* * *

Tim knew that something was going on. There was little to no chance that Dick was just in town to visit, he was never 'just in town to visit'. His main theory was that Batman brought him in as backup for a case.

It turned out he was half right. Batman had called Nightwing in but not as backup for a case. To his credit, he did figure it out when Nightwing bounded up to the Zeta tube as they were off to Mount Justice.

He waited to see if he was right.

* * *

Batman looked at each member of the team before speaking.

"Team, this is Nightwing." Nightwing smiled, waved and then moved back into an authoritative stance with his hands linked behind his back. "He has offered to be Den Mother while Black Canary is unavailable."

Tim swallowed while Kid Flash nudged him and smiled. Tim didn't smile back because he knew what Nightwing could be like when he was training and not relaxing.

Batman looked over at them and narrowed his eyes before walking off without a word of goodbye. There were a few moments of silence as the computer announced Batman's departure. Then;

"You look after Bludhaven, right?" Artemis asked. Nightwing nodded.

"How do you know Batman?" M'gann asked, floating up to him.

"Seriously?" Kid Flash responded, in mock shock. "He was the first Robin!"

"First?" Superboy questioned.

"There have been three Robins," Nightwing explained, "I was the first, Robin," he pointed two fingers at Tim, "is the third."

"What happened to the second?" M'gann asked.

Nightwing clapped his hands and looked at each member of the team.

"Okay, so Robin and Kid Flash I know, how about the rest of you introduce yourselves?" Names and introductions were given during which Artemis slipped over to Kid Flash.

"How do you know him?"

"We're best friends!" Kid Flash told her, "Nightwing, Red Arrow and I go way back."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. She wondered how Kid Flash and Nightwing could be best friends if they, the team, hadn't heard about it.

"KF's been too busy with the team to visit Bludhaven lately," Nightwing's voice soudned from behind her. Artemis jumped and turned around, looking right into Nightwing's dark chest and up the blue wing-like emblem which spread across it.

How had he gotten so close? She hadn't heard or felt him at all.

"'Haven sucks," Kid Flash announced, "worse than Gotham and I can't get a decent pizza."

"I don't get my pizza in 'Haven," Nightwing commented with a bark of laughter. Kid Flash knew what he was referring to.

"The Titans do have good pizza," Kid Flash agreed with a nod. "But so do we."

Nightwing raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

"Really?" he smirked, "I'll have to try it then."

Kid Flash lit up.

"You paying?"

Nightwing shrugged and nodded. He guessed he was.

"Awesome!" And Kid Flash was off. "Nightwing's paying for pizza!" he called through the cave.

"You're going to regret that," Artemis informed him.

"Kid Flash does tend to require a large amount of food," Aqualad, who went by Kaldur while off-duty, commented.

"I know." Nightwing's smile didn't falter.

"You're getting Batman to pay, aren't you?" Robin commented, silently moving to stand beside Nightwing.

"Of course."


	2. -The Relaxing-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Team and Nightwing hang out and get to know each other.

**-The Relaxing-**

* * *

M'gann floated over to the boys on the couch.

"Who's Nightwing?" she asked them, glancing around to check that the hero in question wasn't standing nearby. Nightwing gave off a similar presence as Batman and kept his thoughts impenetrably shielded from her.

Superboy frowned, having no idea that Nightwing even existed until he appeared in front of them. Robin stared at her with a raised eyebrow, leaving her to figure it out for herself.

Kid Flash was the one who answered, jumping off the couch and turning to look at them all while he explained;

"He was the first Robin but after some stuff with Batman, ran off to make a name for himself! He started the Teen Titans, a completely independent superhero team which focuses on recruiting and training teenager superheroes, and led them for a few years as both Robin and Nightwing before completely cutting ties to Batman and the Teen Titans and going solo."

"The Teen Titans?" Superboy questioned.

"Why haven't we heard about them?" M'gann questioned.

"We're supposed to be a covert team," Aqualad explained, walking into the room. Kaldur had been listening at the door. "Hanging out with another high profiled team would be revealing our existence to the greater community. In addition, the Titans and the Justice League do not work together."

"You know about the Titans?" Robin questioned, twisting back and resting his arm along the back of the couch to talk to Kaldur.

Kaldur gave Robin a long thoughtful look.

"You are not the only one of us to receive a name which was previously used by another," he explained, "I am the second Aqualad. The first joined the Teen Titans and changed his name only a few weeks before we met."

"Tempest," Nightwing's voice rang out as the person himself dropped from the ceiling with a chuckle. M'gann squealed in fright and he gave her an apologetic smile. The rest of the team just managed to hide their surprise since they were used to Robin appearing seemingly from nowhere. "So, you're Kaldur. He talks about you." Kaldur blinked, uncertain how to take that. "Tempest has been spending more and more time in Atlantis too, I guess because both you and Aquaman are often away." Although Kaldur was certain his expression didn't change, Nightwing still backed up. "That's not a bad thing! He admires your work with this team and it's great to see you here, plus the Titans still see Tempest which is more than I can say for Spee-uh, Red Arrow."

"Wait, what?" Artemis questioned in shock.

"Red Arrow was on your team?" M'gann questioned.

"What?" Superboy added, his face twisting in upset confusion.

Nightwing raised his hands and everyone went quiet.

"Red Arrow joined the Titans while he was Speedy but went back to Green Arrow in order to try for the Justice League. We all told him to go for it," Nightwing stopped there. None of them had expected it would go as it had. Roy had felt cheated and many of the Titans thought rightfully so. They had expected him to return to the Titans and were surprised when he didn't.

"Well, that was stupid," Superboy commented, "he had a team, why did he need to join theirs?"

Young Justice stared at him, their mouths open. There was a moment of silence where Superboy started to wonder if he had said something wrong.

Then, Nightwing started laughing.

"Right you are! But, he didn't see it that way."

"You can't talk," Robin muttered quietly, but loud enough for Nightwing to hear. Nightwing smiled at him and the rest of the team.

"Okay, who wants to hear a story?"

* * *

Nightwing told them the story of his first night out as Robin. He acted out parts and changed his voice, making M'gann giggle at his Batman impression and Robin flush scarlet in mortification on Batman's behalf. Kid Flash joined in with titbits of information, things he had learnt about Nightwing over the years, as well as comments on the story. Artemis listened intently, analysing the story while trying to separate fact from fiction which was more difficult than she expected. Aqualad listened politely. Superboy listened distantly and wondered if Superman had made mistakes in the beginning like how Nightwing described himself doing. He also found it interesting to learn that, no, Batman had not immediately accepted the idea of having Robin with him, it had to be earned.

* * *

Nightwing liked this team. He could see the potential and the chemistry between the members. It was something he felt the Teen Titans were beginning to forget, especially after his leaving, Roy's disappointment and Tempest's distance.

* * *

Kid Flash heard the scuff of shoes on the ground, alerting him to Nightwing's presence. It seemed Artemis heard it too as she stopped berating him midsentence to turn and glare at the older man.

"Don't sneak up on me," she hissed in warning to him. He automatically moved back, hands raised and showing he didn't mean any harm.

"Oi, Artemis," Kid Flash started to say.

"I will keep that in mind," Nightwing interrupted. He smiled and Artemis added;

"Are you sure you're Batman's protégé?"

"Artemis!" Kid Flash scolded as Nightwing laughed.

"I see you and KF get along," he countered.

"What?!"

"We do not!" Artemis turned pink at the thought. Nightwing continued as if they hadn't protested. He leant in close to Artemis and said, in a light tone;

"Although, you really shouldn't flirt so much in public."

Artemis stormed off.

"Dude!" Kid Flash spouted, "are you insane? Now she'll try to kill you in your sleep."

Nightwing shrugged. Artemis was not the most hot-headed or boldest woman he knew. She wouldn't try to kill him over an innocent comment.

"I guess you like this team?" he questioned Kid Flash.

Kid Flash turned away in shame. He had joined the Teen Titians for a few months, until school, life and working with the Flash got in the way. Something had to give and his new bond with the Titans wasn't a strong enough justification to stay and let his, Wally West's, life implode around him. He had explained as much to Nightwing, then Robin, when he left.

And yet, he helped found Young Justice. Kid Flash wondered if Nightwing considered this a betrayal. Under the gaze of his old friend, it felt like one.

"I'm not criticising," Nightwing said once he deciphered his expression. "The Teen Titans isn't for everyone, your situation being an example of that. It's nice to know that teen heroes have more than one place to turn."

"Are you going to join Young Justice, then?" Kid Flash asked, looking up. He was only half-a-head shorter, even though it didn't feel like it most of the time.

"Nope," Nightwing said with certainty and a wide smirk. "Den Mother for a week, that's it." A raised eyebrow under a mask. "Shouldn't you give the spiel to Red Arrow instead?"

Kid Flash huffed. His friends were so stubborn!

"Besides," Nightwing continued, "you wouldn't want me around all the time." He gave Kid Flash a knowing smirk and motioned towards the bench.

Kid Flash turned. Sitting there was an empty white plate. It took a few milliseconds to sink in.

An empty white plate, save for a few crumbs. All that remained of the pile of cookies M'gann had made.

Kid Flash turned back to his former friend, because cookie thieves weren't friends, only to be staring at empty space. He fumed as two sets of high-pitched, ghostly giggles sounded through the room.

"Curse you, Nightwing and Robin!" he cried out dramatically, dropping to his knees like a wronged villain. Only one chuckle sounded this time and Kid Flash could just imagine Robin's sigh at his theatrics.

* * *

Robin face-palmed at his friend's theatrics with a long-suffering sigh while Nightwing chuckled next to him.

"Please tell me the security cameras recorded that," Nightwing said, bouncing behind Robin with amusement. Robin used the holographic computer in his glove to hack the computer and access the security recordings.

"Got it," he reported, "should I send you a copy?" Nightwing nodded and Robin typed away.

* * *

M'gann mentally probed the area while Kid Flash did a quick dash around. Kaldur closed the doors with Superboy's assistance. Robin checked over the places where his friends wouldn't think to look while Artemis placed sensors along the hallways.

"He's in his room, right?" Kid Flash whispered to Robin, glancing around suspiciously.

"There's been no movement," Robin reported. Sadly, he had been unwilling to place cameras in Nightwing's room; attempts back at the manor had already proven that Nightwing, and Alfred who disapproved, could spot his cameras. He was relying on the sensors and the established security systems to alert him if Nightwing moved.

"Time to begin," Kaldur said, sitting down at the table. Each member of the team took a spot, their faces grave. Kaldur finally posed the question they had been waiting for, "what do we think of Nightwing?"

Everyone, except Superboy, spoke at once and Kaldur raised his hands for silence. A few more moments passed and M'gann sent out a telepathic blast for quiet, finally silencing them.

"One at a time," Kaldur pointed out patiently. "M'gann."

The green Martian twitched at the thought of going first but reminded herself that she was among friends.

"I think Nightwing is funny." He reminded her of the 'fun uncles' she had seen on Earth shows, filled with stories and smiles.

"I'm sensing a 'but'," Kid Flash commented with a slight frown. M'gann's face fell. She didn't like saying negative things about people.

"It's nothing really. It's just, I can't sense his thoughts." She turned to Robin. "I should expect it because I can't sense yours and Batman's unless you let me but, it's not something that's done on Mars."

The people around the table all nodded in agreement. Shady but expected.

"I think he's an idiot," Artemis piped up a few moments later. "A happy-go-lucky idiot."

"He's Nightwing," Kid Flash countered, "Batman's first partner, founder and leader of the Teen Titans."

"So? He's still a happy-go-lucky idiot. He hasn't stopped smiling since he got here."

"Do you really think that?" Robin questioned quietly. Everyone froze. It was easy to forget that Robin and Nightwing were close. Robin was possibly more attached to Nightwing than to them.

Artemis clammed up.

"What do you think of Nightwing, Robin?" Kaldur asked, interested in their youngest member's thoughts.

"He's not an idiot," Robin responded matter-of-factly. "He's the best." The 'we're lucky to get a chance to learn from him' went unsaid and he wasn't certain whether his teammates realised that.

He had a feeling that they would realise it over the next few days.

"Yeah!" Kid Flash agreed, "there's no one better to have by our side!"

Kaldur nodded to show that he had listened to what Kid Flash had to say. He wondered just what made Batman find Nightwing reliable. The older hero certainly was good, if all he was doing was babysitting them. Except, Kaldur knew that his team would not appreciate such an approach for long.

He turned to the final member of their team, the one who had been silent and listening the whole time.

"Superboy, what is your assessment of the hero Nightwing?" he asked.

Superboy tilted his head, a slight twist of confusion in his expression.

"We already have a Robin," he pointed out with a glance in Robin's direction. Then he went quiet, his part said.

Kaldur was not the only one to raise an eyebrow to that.

"Okay," Artemis commented slowly.

* * *

Nightwing sat on his bed, a pizza slice sitting on a plastic plate beside him. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that the team had met up when they should have been in bed.

He was also going over the mission details Batman had sent him. It didn't sound difficult but Nightwing knew that things had a way of getting out of hand. Especially with this team. He had checked their mission reports.

"Alright," he said to himself after he had scarfed down the last of his pizza. "Should get them to bed." It would probably be as easy as tripping the sensors down the hall.

A few hours of sleep and then he would start his own research for this mission.


	3. The Mission: Training Time & The Mission: Mission Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Okay, so this chapter was planned to be up Friday so it's two days late. But, I really thought it would be shorter than this and I didn't want to divide or cut it or anything like that so... enjoy double the length I guess? Originally the training time and mission time were to be shorter but then Nightwing took over and made training time longer and then the stuff with Kaldur made the mission time difficult to write - the talk between him and Nightwing was rewritten a few times and feel free to guess which two Titans Nightwing refers to, there's very little information there but I did have two Titans in mind.
> 
> This is a double length chapter.

 

**-The Mission: Training Time-**

* * *

When the team awoke the next morning, the kitchen smelled of bacon, eggs and toast.

Robin looked at the spread of food in surprise.

"D-Nightwing?" he questioned, looking over at their Den Mother.

"Mmmrph?" Nightwing responded, his voice muffled by cereal. Why Nightwing would put out this spread and then ignore it for sugary cereal, Robin didn't understand. And he didn't want to.

"Did you cook this?" he questioned, pointing at the food. He ignored Kid Flash's cheer of 'food!' and blur of movement as he dug into the food.

Robin held his gaze to Nightwing's mask. Nightwing chewed, chewed and swallowed in one big gulp which made Robin's throat wince in sympathy.

"Of course not," Nightwing responded, "I got it delivered."

The rest of the table paused. Then Kid Flash started laughing.

"Who would deliver here?" Artemis demanded to know.

"I know a guy," Nightwing responded, looking at Robin. Robin sighed and slid into an unoccupied seat, realisation dawning.

Alfred must have cooked it.

Kaldur walked into the room last, his body glistening with a sheen of water. He wasn't wet but he wasn't dry either.

"Ah, Kaldur!" Nightwing called with a wave at the team leader. "How was the ocean? Any good chatter from the fish?" Somehow, Nightwing could make it sound natural to ask and not weird as the inquiry would have sounded in any other situation or from anyone else in the room.

"Cold. Nice. The fish say one of the fisherman's boats is leaking fuel into the water. Many are going to leave soon."

"Oh," Nightwing frowned sadly. "That's a shame. Did they tell you anything to help you identify the boat?"

Kaldur walked over to the table, a slight frown on his face. He was not used to surface dwellers talking to him about things related to the ocean. Not without a hint of mocking at least.

It caused him to pause for a moment before responding;

"No."

Nightwing made a musing sound and took another bite of his cereal.

"We'll send out a bulletin to the marina and notify ships owners in this area to check their boats for leaks." Pause. "Then again, maybe I could send someone out to take a look for free."

"That... would be good," Kaldur said.

"Well, the fish would be happy and stay and the fisherman would be better off because if the fish leave, then they have no source of income."

Kaldur nodded his head in agreement. 'The fish would be happy' rang in his head.

"Oh yeah," Nightwing said, as if something just occurred to him, "we have a mission briefing this afternoon for the mission tonight, everyone should be there."

It was as if Nightwing had said magical words which caused everyone to freeze and pay attention.

"Mission?" Kid Flash questioned, excitement in his voice.

* * *

Nightwing stood in the middle of the room where the team received missions and trained. He held a clipboard left by Black Canary, stating where each member of the team was up to in their training.

"Who wants to go first?" he questioned nicely. The team all shared a glance before staring back at him.

"Kid Flash?" Robin suggested.

"Oh, no way!" Kid Flash responded, throwing his hand out as he turned to face Robin. "You go first!"

"What? Scared KF?" Robin questioned.

"I am not!"

Robin shoved him forward in response.

"Go on," M'gann encouraged without a hint of malice.

Artemis was not as nice. She snickered and told him, "good luck," in a tone which said she thought he had no chance. Not against an adult hero.

Kid Flash awkwardly stumbled out into the ring. He stood nervously for a moment before awkwardly moving into a runner's stance.

Nightwing stood loose but balanced.

"Ready?"

Kid Flash nodded, even though he was far from ready. He had seen Nightwing fight, worked with him and even trained with him. He knew he would lose. The only question was; how long could he last?

He actually lasted a while. Longer than he thought. Nightwing flipped, twisted, jumped and dodged as he ran at him. Advice came from Nightwing's lips as they fought.

_The move Nightwing used after giving advice always allowed for an opening where Kid Flash could put his advice to use._

Finally, Nightwing flipped over Kid Flash in a display of acrobatic skill and kicked his feet out from under him and tugged him to the ground.

"Ow," Kid Flash said so he didn't have to listen to the computer announce his fail.

"Artemis, how good are you with that bow?" Nightwing questioned turning to the group.

"Good," Artemis snapped. She didn't like it when people questioned her skill.

"Right, come up," Nightwing said, taking a few steps back. "I'm sure Black Canary has spoken to you about learning to fight close up so I'm not going to touch on that today. We'll do a long distance fight so you can use the weapon you're most comfortable with."

Artemis raised an eyebrow but didn't question how Nightwing planned to take her down. From what she had seen, he fought close up and if he wanted to give her an advantage, she wasn't going to question it. But, she had to question him allowing her to use her bow.

"What if I hit you?" she questioned, showing him one of her sharp-tipped arrows. The underlying reason for her question was obvious; she could really hurt him.

Nightwing didn't even bat an eyelid.

"Use the blunt-tipped arrows, thanks."

* * *

Artemis was uncertain about this. She glanced to Robin and notice that he didn't seem the least bit nervous. Neither did Kid Flash. They trusted that Nightwing knew what he was doing.

She readied her bow.

"Ready?" Nightwing asked. She nodded. Nightwing's lips twitched upwards as he announced, "go!"

A moment later, he had shot off a grapple line and was twisting through the air.

At first, Artemis fired off shots, trying to hit non-lethal areas. Then Nightwing laughed, all the indication she needed to realise that she had to change her strategy.

She only wondered for a moment if using the trick arrows was cheating but, Nightwing hadn't said she couldn't. So she pulled out an icing arrow and fired. Not at Nightwing but at the fixed point where the line was attached to the ceiling.

Nightwing dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way as she fired another blunt-tipped arrow. His line was gone for now and Artemis felt the thrill of pride.

"Good!" Nightwing called, cartwheeling out of the way of another arrow.

Artemis smirked as she loaded on a small explosive arrow aiming for where she predicted the older hero would end up.

Nightwing jumped off his hands and into the air as the arrow hit the ground. He twisted forward, flipping around and landing on his hands before gaining momentum and executing another two flips, crossing the distance between him and Artemis.

She loaded another arrow, he twisted around.

"I win," Artemis announced, a thrill of fear going through her. This was what she had been trained to do but she knew that heroes wouldn't approve of it.

She had won but she knew she would be in trouble.

The occupants of the room sucked in a breath.

Artemis held the bow string taut as she pointed a blunt-tipped arrow right at Nightwing's throat.

There was a moment pause before Nightwing held up his hands. He gently and slowly placed his hands over hers and tilted them up.

The arrow was now aimed at his chin.

"In this situation, you want to aim here," he explained mildly before stepping out of the way. He tapped a few buttons on his glove and the computer announced Artemis' win. In a louder voice, he continued, "well done. Speedy flinched the first time I pulled that stunt on him and lost because of it. Firing an arrow at close range isn't ideal but, if you don't have time to switch to close range tactics, then firing your arrow is your best option." Nightwing picked up the clipboard again and scribbled on it.

"Um, yeah," Artemis commented. She felt scrutinised, like she had given away more than intended. She probably had; only recalling now the fight was over that Nightwing had been trained by the Bat.

"Well done, Artemis," Kaldur said when she reached the group. Robin gave her a pat on the back and his own words of congratulations. M'gann hugged her and Kid Flash pouted off in the corner.

Superboy was frowning the scowl he had when something confused him.

"Superboy," Nightwing called, motioning for the clone to take the stage.

* * *

Nightwing spoke in a whisper, at a volume only super-hearing could pick up.

"I'm going to try and make you angry," he explained, "and if you want me to stop, you only have to say 'stop'. What I hope, is that you'll tune me out."

Superboy nodded, showing his understanding. He was a little annoyed already as Nightwing didn't seem to even consider the possibility of him beating him. Nightwing spoke as of the fight would go on until one of them ended it.

"Ready?" Nightwing said louder.

Superboy nodded and rushed towards him, fists flying. Nightwing flipped over his head.

"Wow, not very fast, are you? Too reliant on strength?" He nodded like this was expected. "Superman can get like that too."

Superboy felt a rush of rage at Superman's name.

"What do you know!" he yelled at Nightwing, stomping the floor and causing it to vibrate.

Nightwing moved with the vibrations, an easy-going smile on his face.

A few more throws were given and Nightwing criticised each one. He brought up Superman and things that he had done with Superman when he was younger.

_Nightwing and Superman had worked together._ That fact had almost caused Superboy to give up.  _Superman had bought Nightwing ice-cream._ But, right when he opened his mouth to call it, Nightwing gave him the first bit of encouragement all match; 'Keep going, Supey!'

Superboy had been shocked and missed Nightwing's next bit of criticism.

The matched was ended when Nightwing tossed him to the ground. It had been a longer fight than Artemis', almost as long as Kid Flash's.

"You're getting there," Nightwing said, holding out a hand for him to take.

Superboy frowned and slapped it away, choosing to get up under his own power. He knew he had done poorly, most of what Nightwing said had hurt and caused him to lash out. He had managed to tune out some of it but didn't understand how he did it.

"One last thing," Nightwing said before letting him storm back over to his friends, "I haven't spoken to Superman since I found out about you. And if I do see him, I'm going to tell him that you're a fine young man and that he's being a jerk."

"I don't need you to do that," Superboy grunted.

"I don't need your permission," Nightwing responded with a blinding smile before turning back to the group. "Robin, you're next."

Robin's heart sank but he stepped up.

"A simple practise match," Nightwing said, taking stance. "No equipment."

Robin nodded and mirrored Nightwing's stance.

* * *

Their fight was shorter than Superboy's and gave the team the feeling that Nightwing was being hard on Robin. There were no quips or words exchanged as the pair duelled.

Robin lost, the computer announcing his fail in the echoing silence. The team let their held breaths go as their bird walked back over to them.

"M'gann, take him to the med bay for a heat pack," Nightwing said.

"I'm fine!" Robin shot back. Nightwing's eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted into a tight frown.

"You've pulled a muscle in your leg. Deal with it now or miss out on the mission."

"Um, but what about my turn?" M'gann questioned nervously. Nightwing's smile came back when he turned to her.

"I'm not actually allowed to fight with you. There was an incident with J'onn back when I was Robin and he needs to be present for any practise match between you and me."

"That doesn't seem fair," Superboy pointed out. He knew that M'gann loved practise matches with new people, just as she loved making cookies for them afterwards.

"J'onn would want her present for any match between him and me as well," Nightwing pointed out, "it's not a fault with her, it's a fault with me. I apologise for it." He smiled at M'gann. "Take care of my brother, okay? He likes to push himself too hard."

"Pot, kettle," Robin grumbled. He had long gotten used to how Nightwing considered them family.

M'gann nodded, looking excited as she gathered Robin up and flew him to the med bay.

"Alright, last one. Aqualad," Nightwing said.

Kaldur moved to step up and pulled out his Water-Bearers. His training with Nightwing was just a simple match.

Nightwing jumped and bounced through the air, pulling off acrobatic stunts that they hadn't even see Robin do. At one point, he flipped and stood on Aqualad's shoulders and used them as leverage to jump up to the ceiling.

Aqualad realised that Nightwing was getting him used to fighting someone who moved around from ground to air and vice versa. He had trained Kid Flash in new techniques while fighting the fast hero. He gave Artemis confidence in her training and explained to Superboy what he was doing before he did it. He gave Robin a serious opponent to fight against and possibly even gave M'gann a chance to practise being in a support position and having to look after hurt and injured teammates.

That realisation caused him to be distracted and he lost. His fight lasted less time than Superboy.

* * *

**-The Mission: Mission Time-**

* * *

The screens lit up with a location a few hours from Gotham City. It looked like a regular research building; square, white and large, except there was nothing around for miles.

"This is Nytrix Co." Nightwing pressed a button and floor-plans acquired from the City Planner Department appeared. "Batman believes they pose a risk. Your job is to infiltrate this building and acquire records of what they're working on."

Kid Flash raised his hand.

"Uh, why?" he questioned, sceptically.

Nightwing didn't smile during the mission briefing. This was serious time. He took a moment to consider his response to Kid Flash's enquiry.

"Nytrix Co. has a number of employees which are either using fake names or fake qualifications," he explained, pulling up information on the employees and correlating information from universities and colleges.

"So?" Artemis questioned, crossing her arms. "Lots of people lie on their resume."

"Nytrix Co. was a shell company for LexCorp until it started business towards the end of last year. Batman was unable to confront the issue until now, until your team formed." Nightwing looked each member of the team in the eye as he stated;

"Your goal is to get the information without causing a stir. That information will provide the proof which will allow Batman or the police to take action against Nytrix Co.

"If you fail, get captured or recognised, then we will be back at square one with the Justice League unable to move against Nytrix Co. and its connection to LexCorp."

Nightwing's voice rang out with sincerity, clarity and strength.

* * *

The team was dismissed to prepare for the mission.

"Aqualad," Nightwing said, motioning for the team leader to remain. "I would like to know how you plan to complete this mission."

Aqualad nodded, even though it was a strange request. He was used to explaining his actions after the mission, not before.

"Miss Martian will use her telepathic abilities so we can communicate but also have complete radio silence. Superboy will stay near her while Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis and I sneak into the facility."

"Your plan if any of you are spotted?"

Kaldur had the feeling that he was being tested or interrogated.

"Aim to knock out whomever spots us and make a quick egress."

Nightwing mused on this for a moment.

"And if I came? What would you have me do?"

Kaldur was certain his surprise showed on his face for a moment. He thought about it but didn't know whether he could give orders to the older hero. Wouldn't leadership go to Nightwing if he joined them?

"Lead us," he responded.

"But, you're the leader," Nightwing pointed out.

"I am only leader until Robin is ready to take over." And he was okay with that. He knew Robin would make a great leader, like Nightwing, and a break from the heavy responsibilities of leader would be nice.

"That doesn't mean you wouldn't be leader."

"What?"

"When Robin is ready to lead, it doesn't mean your time as leader is over. I may be recognised as the leader of the Titans but, I left the Titans in the hands of a very capable leader and friend. In turn, he sometimes hands leadership over to another member and she takes over for a while. Depending on the people, leadership can be shared."

"Depending on the people?"

"Well, Batman's not a very good team player, although he will follow orders if the person giving them is making decisions he agrees with. But, you don't have worry about that with this team, most of them are good with taking orders."

Kaldur wanted to question the 'most' but he was busy figuring out the meaning behind Nightwing's words.

"So, leader, can I come?" Nightwing asked.

* * *

Robin was annoyed. Kid Flash was the only one trying to discourage him from doing something crazy but one glare from the angry little bird sent him fleeing back towards Artemis.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked Nightwing, the two brothers moving away from the rest of the team to talk.

"Coming along," Nightwing responded. "Do you really expect me to hang around in this mountain by myself?"

He had Robin for a moment as hanging around the mountain alone wasn't as ideal as a mission. However, he knew that Nightwing was able to amuse himself.

"There's a trapeze set up in the training room plus you can coordinate from here. Like how Batman does."

"I'm not Batman," Nightwing responded with a frown, his good mood evaporating. "I asked Aqualad if I could come and I will be following his direction in the field." A pause and then the worst of emotional blackmail appeared. Nightwing put on a pout. "You don't think I can do this?" Robin thought that it should have been the other way around, not that it didn't hurt his heart to hear Nightwing say it. Nightwing's shoulders slumped.

"Just tell the idiot he can come, already!" Kid Flash called out. Robin glared at him because that was the exact opposite of what he was trying to do.

"Look, this is your team. I'm just coming to watch," Nightwing said, wrapping an arm around him and guiding him towards the bio-ship.

"Liar," Robin countered, although he felt a little bit better with his brother's arm around him.

* * *

Nightwing didn't know how to feel when Miss Martian linked him up with the team. He couldn't tell whether he could sense her in his head or whether he just thought he could sense her in his head.

_[Everyone online?]_  Miss Martian's mental voice called out.

_[Yeah, baby,]_ Kid Flash responded.

_[We do not need to hear that,]_ Artemis commented. Superboy added his agreement in a mental grunt.

_[Get traught, people.]_ Robin. Nightwing noticed that he sounded more cheerful than when he was around him or Batman.

_[Robin is correct. Get ready. We have arrived at our target.]_ Kaldur quickly brought the team to attention.  _[Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis and I will break into the building and retrieve the information. Miss Martian, Superboy and Nightwing will keep watch.]_

_[Aye, aye!]_ Kid Flash sent back with a mock salute.

"Dork," Artemis muttered, following Kid Flash out of the ship. Robin laughed and dropped to the ground, using the shadows to sneak up to the back door and start hacking the lock with his holographic computer glove.

_[And… we're in,]_ he announced.

Miss Martian went incorporeal and glided through the area around the facility, checking for guards. Superboy stood by the ship, ears tuned for the slightest off noise.

_[Area secure,]_ Miss Martian sent, although she didn't sound too certain about it. Something was nagging at her.

_[And Nightwing?]_  Robin queried. Miss Martian glided over to Superboy, who shook his head. He hadn't seen Nightwing.

_[Uh, he seems to have vanished.]_ At least that explained the nagging feeling.

For a second, they all felt Kaldur's displeasure at the announcement.

_[Well, at least we know where Robin gets it from?]_ Kid Flash commented.

_[Let's just finish the mission,]_ Robin grumbled back.

* * *

In preparation for the mission, Robin had looked over the building's plans and located the server room. Kid Flash and Artemis were look outs, going first through the building to knock out or alert them to guards or people. Aqualad was there to defend his rear and protect him while he downloaded all the information.

If you ignored Nightwing's disappearance, then the mission went completely to plan.

* * *

They found Nightwing a few miles down the road with what appeared to be a huge hippopotamus crossed with something spikey and possessing sharp teeth; Robin suspected some kind of alligator.

Artemis summed it up best;

"How come we have to sneak around and he gets to fight giant monsters?"

Nightwing greeted the team with, "Robin, I can't wait to see what the files say about Croco-potamus here."

Kid Flash started laughing and Robin really hoped the files called it something else.


	4. -The Goodbyes-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: This is the final chapter. But do not fret, I have a long list of prompts I've found on the Young Justice Anon Meme which I want to fill. So, keep an eye out for those.

 - **The Goodbyes-**

* * *

The school bell rang and students came streaming out of the buildings. This was always the best time of the day for Artemis, who tried to get out of school quick so she could change into her outfit and go to meet with the team.

"Hey! Watch it!" she called out as a dark haired kid bolted past, his bag hitting her arm. His whole manner gave off a hurried air.

"Was that Timothy Drake?" a nearby girl questioned.

"Who?" Artemis asked. The pair of girls jumped back, obviously surprised that the 'charity case' scholarship student was talking to them.

"Timothy Drake-Wayne," the bolder of the two responded. "He's the Drake's kid," Artemis had no idea who 'the Drake's' were but the girl spoke as if she should, "and adopted son of Bruce Wayne. He's level-headed, always composed and never hurries."

Artemis blinked in disbelief because hadn't they just seen him hurry? But she got the gist of it. He was rich, held a great family name and had bright future prospects.

Her watch beeped, reminding her to get to the Zeta beam soon if she wanted to beat Kid Flash to the mountain.

She bolted out of the school gates and wondered just what could be so important that the rich kid had to run instead of getting his driver to take him.

* * *

Robin should have been happy. Nightwing was with the team and, while being Den Mother meant that he spent most of his time at the mountain, Robin was seeing more of him than he did regularly.

He should not have been scrambling out of the Zeta tube in order to get just a few minutes with Nightwing without the rest of the team.

"Robin! You're early!" M'gann called out in surprised. Robin ignored the stab of disappointment which hit his stomach and turned to smile at her.

"Uh, yeah. Decided to get here before Kid Flash," Robin responded.

M'gann nodded diplomatically. Kid Flash was usually the last of them to arrive. You were considered late if you arrived after him.

"Robin! Thought I heard your voice!" Nightwing called out, walking out of the kitchen.

There was a moment of silence. Robin turned to M'gann and noticed that; yes, she knew just how Nightwing's ensemble was borderline ridiculous.

The white apron with pink flowers and flowery oven mitts on both hands clashed terribly with the black and blue of his Nightwing outfit.

"What. Are. You wearing?" Robin questioned, flashing back to the first few attempts at a Nightwing costume that were hanging in the Batcave. They were ridiculous and even Nightwing didn't want them brought up. Although, that could be because he always tries to defend his choice in outfits until both he and whomever he was talking to were exhausted from discussion.

And Robin didn't even want a reminder of some of the clothes sitting in Dick's closet.

"What? I'm cooking. This is what you wear when you cook."

"You look ridiculous!" Kid Flash said, his words and laughter sounding the moment he appeared in the case. Kid Flash placed a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Please tell me you took a photo."

Robin thought this was a good idea. He pulled out his phone and snapped a shot. Nigthwing seemed unfazed by this, his position almost like he was posing.

"Looks like almost everyone's here," Nightwing commented, pulling off the apron.

Artemis arrived a moment later. Her face fell when she spotted Kid Flash. She sighed a curse as she walked out of the Zeta tube.

"What smells like burning?" she questioned, looking at M'gann. Instead, it was Nightwing who cried;

"My waffles!" As he bolted to the kitchen.

* * *

Kid Flash scarfed down the waffles in seconds. He didn't seem to notice the burnt ones.

"And that's why I gave them to him," Nightwing said when Artemis brought it up. The rest of the team turned back to their own plates. Robin was the only one who appeared to be enjoying it.

Artemis started at the offending waffle and muttered something about a 'diet'. M'gann joyfully announced that she was joining her in her 'diet' because wasn't that something girl-friends did together? Kaldur had a taste and pronounced it too sweet.

Nightwing was busy teaching Superboy the fine art of eating waffles.

"Why do I need to do this?" Superboy questioned with a glare at the man next to him.

"Because," Nightwing thought for a moment, "you might be undercover at a party or something where waffles are being served and your cover requires you to eat them."

"That's stupid," Artemis commented but Superboy seem placated by the explanation and started eating. Slowly. And he waited until Robin took a bite, copying the movements from him.

* * *

The computer announced Red Arrow's arrival in the cave a few hours later. But, it was Red Arrow's responding cry of, "it's Red Arrow! Not Speedy!" which brought Kid Flash and Robin running. The rest of the team followed at a slower pace but still followed in order to find out what Red Arrow wanted now.

"You!" Red Arrow growled at Kid Flash.

"Me," Kid Flash responded as if he had been expecting this.

"Dude, what did you do?" Robin questioned. It was obvious that Red Arrow was mad. Whatever Kid Flash had done was serious enough to make the solo vigilante come to see the team.

Red Arrow held up a photo. It was of a wall. Paint had been spread across it, spelling out 'Join Us!' in large letters and 'it'd be asterous' scrawled at the side.

"How did you even get into my apartment?" Red Arrow demanded to know.

"Guesswho'sDenMother!" Kid Flash responded quickly.

"What?"

"Guess who's Den Mother," Robin translated.

"Who?" Red Arrow's eyes narrowed. He looked over at the rest of the team, hoping he would be able to figure it out from their body language.

"Red Arrow! You came!" Nightwing called out, jumping on the red-clad man and running a hand over his hair.

"Get. Off me!" Red Arrow said, grabbing Nightwing and flinging him over his shoulder. Nightwing twisted out of his grip and flipped, landing in a crouch on the ground. "Nightwing?"

"Den Mother," Robin said when Red Arrow looked to him for answers.

"What did you guys do?" Red Arrow questioned in surprise and shock, assuming that the team had done something really bad for Batman to send in Nightwing.

"Nothing like that," Nightwing corrected. "Batman called me in because the rest of the League are busy."

"Except Superman."

Nightwing's face fell.

"Superman's not answering his comm," Nightwing said. Even though he looked crestfallen, Red Arrow felt a chill down his spine. He felt for Superman because Nightwing was sure to get revenge for not answering his comm.

"Anyway, I called you in to help with M'gann's and Artemis' training!"

"'Called me in'?" Red Arrow questioned, quickly realising that was what the paint in his apartment had been about. He sighed and pressed a palm to his forehead.

"That's not a 'no'!" Nightwing said with his famous smirk. Next Red Arrow knew, Nightwing had linked his arm with his and was pulling him along to the training room. "Come along, team!" Nightwing called back.

"Who is that guy?" Artemis questioned rhetorically, shocked at the spectacle. She had heard stories about Robin when he first appeared but she never really believed that someone so cheery could work with Batman. Even their Robin was more subdued.

"Nightwing," M'gann responded, her voice sounded awed.

* * *

Robin paused. He turned around.

"Problem?" he asked Superboy. The clone was standing right behind him.

"No," Superboy responded. Robin rolled his eyes, even though he knew the clone couldn't see it.

"Come on!" Nightwing said, flipping over Superboy and pushing Robin down the hall.

"I can't believe he wants me to do this," Red Arrow was grumbling as the team entered the training room.

"Do what?" Robin asked. M'gann flew over and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Nightwing has arranged for some aerial training for me and for Red Arrow to assist with Artemis' training!"

"Red Arrow is the better archer," Kid Flash agreed with a knowing nod of his head. Artemis glared at him and whacked him over the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"That was uncalled for. KF was saying that I'm a better archer than Green Arrow," Red Arrow said.

"Really?" Artemis was sceptical.

"It's an open secret," Red Arrow responded with a shrug. He stepped up and pulled out an arrow. "Alright M'gann! When you're ready!"

"Hey!" Artemis cried, readying her bow. "What about me?"

"Get ready," Red Arrow responded, "and blunt tips only."

"What is this?" Superboy asked Robin. Robin tilted his head and didn't respond as he was still trying to figure it out.

"Aerial dodgeball," Nightwing responded. He then explained, "Artemis and Red Arrow are going to refine their archery skills by shooting at a moving target. Red Arrow will be aiming to just miss most of the time though. Meanwhile, the target, Miss Martian, will be trying to dodge the arrows. She's not allow to go intangible and she has to fly."

"Those arrows will hurt," Superboy pointed out. Nightwing didn't seem affected by his comment.

"Of course. But the bruises will fade. If she gets really good, we might even get in some paintball guns and let you kids go crazy."

"Thanks," Robin responded dryly. He didn't want to deal with the paint on the walls and the bruises that would cause.

* * *

Once M'gann called it quits, claiming to have bruises everywhere, Red Arrow nominated someone else to go. Artemis was overjoyed to get the chance to fire at Kid Flash, although her joy quickly turned to frustration as she learnt how hard it was to hit the speedster. It wasn't until she was ready to call it quits that she noticed Nightwing had vanished.

* * *

Nightwing swung high in the air, standing on the trapeze like it was a swing. Back and forth, almost like he was trying to hit the roof. Then he dropped backwards. M'gann gasped and was about to rush up to save him when Red Arrow grabbed her ankle.

"Look," he said.

Nightwing had dropped but not fallen. His ankles had wrapped around the trapeze ropes and were holding him up. He swung and twirled in the air, twirling into a sitting position and the trapeze. He flipped around the bar and stood up, swinging back and forth.

"What is he doing?" Superboy questioned, his head following the movement of the trapeze.

"Shh!" Artemis said, entirely focus on the show as Nightwing flipped around the bar by his feet. He swung back and forth. When the bar reached its highest point, Nightwing jumped off in a twist and flipped backwards.

The team held their breath.

As he descended, he grabbed the bar again. A collective sigh filled the room.

And so it went, Nightwing twisting, twirling and flipping in the air and on the trapeze while everyone watched on.

Then he flipped around the bar, let go, flipped once, twice, three times and fell. He had spun far away from the trapeze.

"Oh-"

"No!"

Nightwing reached out and grabbed the top of the parallel bars and flipped around. He let go and twisted in the air, dropping over and grabbing the lower bar before flipping to the ground where he did a tumble and a number of cartwheels.

M'gann clapped and cheered, her display encouraging the rest of them to do the same.

Nightwing smiled and bowed, once, twice, three times.

"You nut," Red Arrow said, walking over to him and trapping him in a head-lock.

"Gravity, dude. You know that's a thing, right?" Kid Flash said.

"Are you sure he doesn't have superpowers? Because it definitely looked like he can fly," Artemis commented to Robin, her voice filled with awe. "That was crazy."

"That's Nightwing for you," Robin responded. Although he sounded casual, he was anything but. He had just been treated to an almost personal display by the last of the Flying Graysons.

Later, Dick would come up to him just after he leaves the mountain, full of bounces and smiles and saying 'Timmy, Timmy' over and over while asking him what he thought of the performance and saying that he would teach him some of the moves. And even though Nightwing would have to go back to Mount Justice a moment later to continue his Den Mother duties, Tim would be left feeling happy and warm all night.

But until then, the sight of Nightwing on the trapeze would be the best experience Robin had that week.

* * *

Artemis heard the pounding of feet on the pavement and just managed to get out of the way as Timothy Drake came running past.

"Oi!"

"Sorry!" he called back.

* * *

Everything went smoothly until Nightwing's last day as Den Mother. It was Friday night and the team had a mission, after which they were going to spend the night at the mountain base.

Then, two hours into the mission, the team's signals vanished. Nightwing rebooted the program, hoping that it was just some kind of glitch.

It was only a stakeout. In Metropolis. There shouldn't have been any danger.

The map loaded back up. It was focused on LexCorp but there were no signals.

There should have been six signals.

Nightwing cursed. He armed Mount Justice so that an alert would be sent to his glove if anyone arrived and then bolted for the Zeta tube.

Metropolis was a city of high-rise buildings and a city that didn't sleep. Nightwing swung across buildings and tried to keep calm.

If this turned out to be a prank, then he was going to sic Batman on them. That thought helped fuel anger, helped to keep him moving and not panicking.

"Nightwing!" a voice called. Nightwing twisted out of the way as a streak of blue and red came flying by.

"Keep up or go away!" he yelled back. Two more buildings to cross... one more... there!

Nightwing landed across from LexCorp. It was a tall building and lit up with lights. His eyes narrowed.

"What's going on?" Superman asked, hovering beside him.

"The team's missing. Their signals went off-line around this area."

"The team?"

"Robin, Superboy, Artemis, Kid Flash, Miss Martian and Aqualad. Are you able to see into the building?"

"No. Luthor lines it with lead to keep me out."

"Then I'm going in."

"What? Nightwing, no!"

Nightwing ignored him. He dropped off the building, grappled, flipped and tumbled his way to the ground. He checked his holographic computer.

Still no signals. And he hadn't seen a single sign of the team. He needed to look for signs of a struggle.

He found them down an alleyway. Miss Martian's bioship was parked down the end, as Nightwing found out when he walked into it. Whomever attacked them must have just grabbed and run. They didn't bother to check to alley for equipment.

Upturned bins and trash littered the alleyway and there were indents in the dumpsters, one had even been toss on its side. There had clearly been a fight here. Or superpowered cats and rats. Nightwing didn't know which he was hoping for.

"Nightwing," Superman said, landing at then end of the alley.

Nightwing held up what he had found. Robin's bo staff, which had rolled underneath the dumpster.

Superman froze and gave him a sad look.

"I'm sorry. If only I had known-"

"You would have known if you had bothered to answer your phone! Or your communicator! Or your email!" Nightwing hissed to him, silently clearing the gap between them in an instant. "We contacted you regarding this mission since it was taking place in. Your. City! You better hope I find them in one piece or your life will get much more difficult."

Superman swallowed. There were a few things he had forgotten until that moment. One, Nightwing had been trained by Batman. Two, just because the boy didn't like scaring people, didn't mean he couldn't. And three, Nightwing cared for anyone he worked with. It was why so many heroes looked up to him. Because if you were working with Nightwing, you knew he would do everything in his power to protect everyone he could and get you home safe. It was inspiring, because how could you do any less than your best when he was giving it his all?

"Let's get them back," Superman said. Nightwing nodded because it was the answer he had expected.

* * *

Superboy hurt all over.

"How dare they?" Artemis was yelling. "'Trespassing'? How do you trespass in the middle of a city?"

"It doesn't matter," Robin said calmly. "They overpowered us."

It hurt to breathe, the air stinging his lungs.

"Hey, at least you're not in some kind of pod thing," Kid Flash grumbled. "Seriously, anyone else reminded of the time we met Superboy?"

"I wasn't there," Artemis growled back. "And I'm in a cage."

It hurt to move, like his muscles were cramping up with every twitch.

"In a cage and dangling from the ceiling," Robin pointed out helpfully.

"Be calm. I am confident we can get out of this," Aqualad's voice was calm but not helping.

Superboy hated the green glow beyond his eyelids. Hated it almost as much as he hated monkeys.

"Yeah. Lex Luthor really goes traditional with these things," Robin said, following up his statement with a grunt.

Alarms began blearing.

Superboy flinched and groaned. His head pounded in time with the alarms.

"What now?" Artemis sighed.

Far off there was the sound of an explosion and chaos. The team held their breath and hoped that this would provide them with the chance to escape.

The door opened. The first thing to go was the green glow of the kryptonite and Superboy sat up the moment the pain vanished.

Nightwing stood before him, a small black box in his hands which now contained the kryptonite.

"Get Kid Flash and Aqualad," Nightwing ordered. Superboy nodded and dashed over to the pod containing Kid Flash. He smashed it and yanked the restraints off his friend. Aqualad was next, having been chained to the wall, his Water-Bearers placed on a table on the other side of the room with Artemis' arrows and Robin's utility belt. Superboy snapped the chain. They then ran over to Miss Martian, who was lying limp and unconscious on the ground.

Meanwhile, Nightwing had leapt from the table up to Artemis' cage and picked the lock open, freeing the archer. They both dropped harmlessly to the ground. Then he went over to Robin and undid the restraints around his arms.

"Why am I last?" Robin complained.

"So I know where you are," Nightwing responded, "can't have you running off while I'm saving your friends."

Robin narrowed his eyes. Didn't Nightwing trust him?

Once he was free, Nightwing ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay, so Superman's taking care of Luthor as a distraction so we can get out of here," he informed him, "and that means the mission's cancelled."

Robin realised that Nightwing didn't want him to run off until he told him that. He felt silly for doubting the older hero. He didn't even know why he was doubting him. He decided to talk to Kid Flash about it later.

"Superboy, grab Miss Martian and let's go!"

* * *

Robin sat on Kid Flash's bed. He had just told the older hero and friend of Nightwing's about the strange feelings he had been having all week. Since Kid Flash knew his identity, thanks to Nightwing's chattiness, he could speak without fear.

Except, when he finished his story, Kid Flash started laughing.

"Dude, you're jealous!"

"I-what?" Wasn't that something lovers felt?

Kid Flash sobered up when he noticed that Robin didn't seem to understand.

"It's like how I don't like seeing Uncle Barry getting to close to others in the team. He's my mentor and my uncle and I don't want to lose that."

"Okay. But that's you and Nightwing's not my mentor."

"But he is your brother and the first Robin. You have his old name, so he must mean something mentor-ish to you."

"'Mentor-ish' is not a word."

"Look, Nightwing has all those brotherly love feelings for you and none of us here have a chance of getting in-between that. Haven't you realised? He's only here because you are."

"He's here because Batman made him Den Mother."

Kid Flash groaned. Robin could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Come on, he only agreed because it meant he could spend time with you! Say it!"

"What?"

"'Nightwing only agreed because it mean he could spend time with me,' say it."

"'Nightwing only agreed because it mean he could spend time with me'," Robin repeated. Strangely enough, it seemed to help.

"And none of the team can come between us," Kid Flash dictated.

"'And none of the team can come between us'."

"Because we are brothers."

"'Because we are brothers.'"

"Good."

"'Good'."

"You can stop now."

"'You can stop now.'"

"Okay. Fine. Kid Flash is the coolest."

"Okay. Fine. Kid Flash is not the coolest."

"Hey!"

"'Hey!'"

"I'm getting Nightwing!"

Robin giggled as Kid Flash dashed out of the room. Sometimes it was just too easy to mess with Wally.

Nightwing stepped out and into the doorway.

"I don't think he saw me."

Robin and Nightwing locked eyes and laughed.

* * *

Nightwing stood before the team, Batman by his side.

"Thank you for having me," he said, "and I hope we'll work together again sometime."

M'gann flew up and gave Nightwing a big hug which he returned.

"Goodbye and thank you!" she said.

"I'll see you Wednesday night?" Kid Flash said as he and Nightwing had made plans. Nightwing nodded over M'gann's shoulder.

"So? Who's up next?" Artemis asked.

"Black Canary," Nightwing informed her.

"Our Robin is better," Superboy said, causing everyone to freeze for a moment. Robin didn't know how to react, he thought he should be mad but he felt warm at the sort-of praise. "But I guess you're okay."

Nightwing just laughed.

"Batman needs to let you into Gotham to play with Robin," he said.

"'Play'?" Batman growled.

"Patrol," Nightwing quickly corrected. "And I'm not going to stop bothering you about it until it happens."

Batman's expression didn't change but just the fact that he didn't say anything meant he was thinking about it.

"I have learnt much from you," Aqualad said, shaking Nightwing's hand.

"Come check out the Titan's sometime. Just for a day or so. Experiencing different teams will help with your leadership skills."

"Nightwing," Batman growled the order, moving towards the Zeta tube. It was time to go home.

Nightwing bounced after Batman, giving the team a wave.

"Come on, Robin!" he called. "Come on patrol with us. We'll drop you back here after." Robin knew that this meant after ice-cream.

It was a very tempting offer but he felt that he was supposed to stay with his team.

He looked back at them, to see different variations of nods and 'go on' gestures.

"Bring back an awesome story, okay?" Kid Flash said.

"Right," Robin agreed, running over to where Batman and Nightwing were waiting.

He came back early in the morning, before the sun had risen with ice-cream at the corner of his mouth and an asterous story involving the Penguin, a golden osprey and a private-eye who wore a trilby hat and trench coat.

* * *

On Monday, Artemis was surprised at the lack of rushing rich kids. Or the lack of one rushing rich kid in particular. Timothy Drake walked calmly out of school with his backpack perfectly on his back and looking like he had all the time in the world.

"Timmy!" A voice called. Artemis turned and recognised the guy who had taken her picture a while back.

"Dick?" Timothy questioned, walking over to the other man. "What are you still doing here?"

"I'm not scheduled to work until tomorrow," Dick responded. "So, I thought we could hang out."

"Of course!" Timothy responded, immediately moving to dump his bag in the seat of the motorcycle.

"Alright, hold on!" Dick said as they got on. Moments later, there was a roar as the motorcycle came to life and they rode off.

Artemis shrugged and headed towards the Zeta tube. Maybe she would beat Wally there, now that she didn't have to worry about running into rushing rich kids.


End file.
